Himachal aims to increase forest cover by 37 pct with Japanese funding

Himachal Pradesh aims to increase forest cover from 26 to 35 per cent, Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur said on Tuesday. Presiding over a workshop on a project for improvement of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Ecosystems Management and Livelihood here, he said the state had taken various steps to protect forests from fire.

"This requires the support and participation of people. A mobile app to alert the public about the forest fires is showing positive results," he said. Talking about the project, the Minister said that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Rs 800 crore 10-year project would be implemented by 2028.

The aim of the project is management of forest area more efficiently so that forest cover could be increased along with improvement in community livelihood. He said the project would be implemented in three stages in six districts -- Kinnaur, Shimla, Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti. India and Japan signed a pact for this project in Tokyo on March 29, 2018.

A total of 17 lakh saplings were planted in the state in the last monsoon and fencing was also done for the protection of planted saplings. The Minister said now the department was preparing to start a plantation in the winter season also. The total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh is 55,673 sq km, of which 66.5 per cent (37,033 sq km) is classified as forest region. The state is one of the storehouses of biodiversity in the country. Of the 45,000 species of flora species found in the country, 3,295 are found in Himachal Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies.)